Owls
by firnoviel
Summary: What will Hermione do when she gets a letter from a secret admirer asking her to a school dance? Who could it be? Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

'Allo, everyone! This is just a short story that I got an idea for just now, so hopefully it's okay. This is just the test chapter. I hope you like it, but if you don't, I'm sorry. It will probably only be about 4-5 chapters tops. Well, enjoy!

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Hermione sat by the window of the abandoned hospital ward in Hogwarts. Outside was a cold, crisp January afternoon, and students were having snowball fights in the brisk sunlight. She gave a depressed sigh and thought about how wonderful it must be to not have the stomach flu on a day like this. All day she had been feeling lonely because she couldn't be with her friends. Ron and Harry had gone to Hogsmeade, and Jenny and Luna were visiting Luna's parents for the weekend.

A little while later, she sat up with a start. It was dark outside, and her forehead was cold from leaning against the windowsill in her sleep. Then she heard it again; a gentle tapping which had awoken her. She looked at the window again and saw a rather small owl with a letter attached to its leg. She opened the window and the small bird alighted in her lap with a small flurry of feathers.

"Who would be sending me a letter?" she questioned out loud. She didn't recognize the owl as belonging to any of her friends, and she'd never seen it with the other school owls. Upon opening the letter, she didn't recognize the hand writing, either.

_My dearest Hermione _(quoth the letter),

_I am terribly saddened to learn that you are sick with the flu_._ Please accept the owl as a token of friendship_._ I have been watching you for years, and I admire you greatly_._ I know that this is an unexpected letter, but if you would like to find out who I am, please be my date to the Snow Ball at the end of the month_._ I assure you that you will find out who I am at that point_._ If you accept, please send a letter back with this owl (her name is Artemis, by the way)_._ She knows who to deliver it to_.

_Sincerely yours,_

_Anonymous_

Hermione stared in open-mouthed wonder at the piece of parchment. Was this for real? She read through it several times to be sure that she had read it correctly, all the while stroking the small owl in her lap. After a while, she walked over to the desk by her bed and reached for a quill.

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How was that? Please review and any suggestions would be nice! This is still a brainstorm story, so I don't know how it's going to turn out. I hope you like it!


	2. Chapter 2

Oddly enough, this story started as a one-shot, but I thought it would be better as a short story. Anyway, here's the next chapter, and I really hope you guys like this story!

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"This is so utterly romantic, Hermione," Luna sighed after reading the letter Hermione had received two days previously.

"Yeah, but it's kinda creepy, too, you know?" Ginny commented. "I mean, for all you know, this guy is some sick freak who's been stalking you and is finally seeking his chance to kidnap you and steal you away to some deserted island somewhere...never to be heard from again."

"How romantic..." Luna smiled.

"Uh, yeah. Thanks for those comforting words, guys. But seriously, what am I supposed to do? Like Luna said, it is romantic, but it is also very weird. I've been so intent on this for the last couple days that I couldn't even think about my homework! Potions is gonna suck to try and catch up in..."

"Why did you use Errol to send us your letter instead of Artemis? I mean, he's so unreliable. It's amazing we got it at all!" Ginny asked.

"Well, I didn't want to use Artemis and have her deliver the letter to this mystery guy? That would be really bad. Anyway, why aren't you trying to tell me what to do? It's like you're putting off giving me a straight answer!"

"Hermione, this letter wasn't addressed to me. Honestly, I don't know. I guess that he must go to the school if he's asking you to the Snow Ball, so you probably aren't in much danger. It's just a matter of whether or not you truly want to find out who this person is and actually run the risk of going to the dance with him. I mean, what if it turns out to be Colin Creevey?" Ginny shivered at the thought of the small shutterbug.

"But what if it turns out to be someone gorgeous, like Oliver Wood?" Luna countered.

"Luna, Oliver graduated a couple years ago," Hermione pointed out. But Luna was lost in happy thoughts of the hunky Scot. Ginny promptly rolled up a magazine and lightly whapped Luna on the nose with it like a puppy that had just made a mess on the new carpet.

"Okay, okay. I guess I should...accept him?"

"Was that an answer or a question?" Ginny said.

"Alright, fine. I'm going to accept, but you guys have to be there to pull me out if this guy turns out to be a total weirdo or something, okay?"

"Yay! Oliver will be happy to know you accept!" Luna cried as she hugged Hermione. Ginny looked at Hermione over the top of Luna's head and rolled her eyes.

"I try, really I do, Hermione, but she just doesn't listen," Ginny sighed. Hermione just laughed.

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"You did WHAT?" Ron shouted.

"I think what Ron _means _is, why did you accept a stranger's invitation to the ball, Hermione?" Harry said, kicking Ron's shin under the breakfast table.

"Well, why not? It was a lovely letter, and he gave me Artemis. It didn't seem dangerous, I mean, it's a school dance for crying out loud!" Hermione said.

"If you wanted a date so much, one of us would have taken you, Hermione," Ron said.

"Oh, thank you very much for the sympathy date, Ron. That's just what I really wanted. You think I made this up or something?" Hermione punched Ron in the arm. "I've got homework," she said, and ran off to the library.

"Nice going, Ron," Harry said.

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Okay, please review! This story has short chapters and there probably won't be more than 5, so I hope that doesn't bother anyone. It may go a little longer, but not too much...Is it okay so far?


	3. Chapter 3

Yay! People are starting to read this fic! I'm so happy! Alright, here's what you've all been waiting for...well, kinda. It's chapter 3!

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As Hermione rushed to the library her eyes began to well up. Did Ron really think that she would be so desperate for a date as to make up a story and try to get sympathy? Who did he think he was, Mr. Fabulous? It's not like he ever dated someone as famous as Viktor Krum. Of all the nerve-

And at that moment, she ran head on into Draco Malfoy.

"Watch it, Granger! You spilled ink all over my robes! Filthy little-"

"'Filthy little' what, Malfoy? Do you really want to finish that sentence?" she growled, the tip of her wand glowing just inches from Draco's face.

"Look, just watch where you're going, okay?" he said. She grabbed her books and ran off, pausing only long enough to flick her wand at the ink stain on his robes. It instantly disappeared.

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Ginny and Harry sat together in the common room, staring blankly into the fire. After a little while of companionable silence, Harry managed to shake himself out of his stupor.

"Ginny, you haven't received any strange owls asking you to the dance, have you?" he asked, playing with a strand of her hair.

"Of course not, silly! Why?"

"Well, if you're not taken, I was hoping you'd go with me," he smiled.

Ginny smiled back. "Well, I suppose Neville probably isn't going to ask me..."

"Ginny!"

"Sorry, just teasing! Okay, sure. You can pick me up at seven," she laughed. "But that is pretty weird, you know. The Hermione thing, I mean."

"Yeah, I guess so," Harry shrugged.

"Do you know anything about it? Like who sent the letter?" Ginny queried.

"No! Of course not! Why do you ask? Besides, if I did, what makes you think I would tell?" He chuckled.

"You better tell. I won't go to the ball with you if you don't," she frowned.

"Too late. You already said you would, and I won't take 'no' for an answer."

"Fine. I guess I'll just have to wait and see. But you're being really mean if you do know anything about it."

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That night, Hermione sat on her bed with Artemis in her lap. She was rereading the letter for about the thousandth time when Artemis suddenly flew to the window and started hooting. Hermione stood up to look out the window, but could see nothing. She sighed, looking at the frantic bird, and put on her robe.

"Well, I guess you want to go hunting or something. Have fun! I'll just be contemplating the contents of this letter...again," she said, stroking the bird and then opening the window. The small owl darted out into the night, flying on silent wings. Hermione watched until she was out of sight before going back bed.

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The next morning, right before breakfast, Hermione heard the all-too-familiar tapping at the window. She turned to let Artemis in and saw a letter attached to the bird's leg for the second time. She was so excited she could barely untie the little ribbon holding it on.

_Dearest Hermione,_

_I am thrilled at your acceptance of my invitation, and I know the courage that it must have taken to agree to attend a dance with an unknown person. I hope you will not be disappointed. This letter is to let you know how to identify me when you see me at the dance. I will be the one wearing a royal blue tuxedo with white gloves._

_Affectionately Yours,_

_Anonymous_

Hermione's heart skipped a beat when she thought of a tall, handsome guy wearing a beautiful blue tuxedo and waiting for her at the bottom of the great staircase. When she regained her senses she raced downstairs, letter clutched in one hand, to show her friends.

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What do you guys think? Oh, and I've been getting a few ideas for this while writing this chapter. Would anyone be upset if I made it more than five chapters? Suggestions for any part of this story are quite welcome! Please review! I respond to all signed reviews.


	4. Chapter 4

Yay! I'm so glad you guys like this story! No one reviewed the first chapter for a long time, so I thought it was a failure. Okay, I know you guys are all in suspense over what's gonna happen next, so without further ado...

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Ron spewed porridge all over a first year sitting across the table from him. "What! You got another one of those goofy letters from this mystery guy? Lemme see," He said, trying to snatch the letter from Hermione.

"Not with those grubby hands you don't," she snapped as she used her wand to clean up the unfortunate first year.

"Here, Hermione, give it to me," Ginny requested and stretched her hand out to Hermione who granted her the coveted letter. Ginny read the letter through, her eyes growing large. Finally, the others could take it no more, and they forced her to read it aloud. As she acquiesced, the ever lurking Malfoy appeared.

"A royal blue tux? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard, Granger. So, who sent the letter? Was it you, Potty? No, not with your little _girlfriend_," he spat the word as he glanced at Ginny. "Maybe it was you, Weasel? You would send weird, mushy letters to a mud-blood, wouldn't you?" He laughed as Ron tried to make a lunge at him. Harry grabbed Ron just in time, but Malfoy was distracted by McGonagall's angry glare. He threw one last condescending glance at the irate Gryffindors before breezing over to the Slytherin table to begin laughing with Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy.

"What a jerk. I mean, why does he act like that? It seems like he's always especially mean to Hermione. He's probably just jealous because she's a better student," Ginny growled.

"Just ignore him. He only wants attention, Ron, so you need to stop rising to the occasion, okay?" Hermione said, face flushed.

"Why do you put up with him? I'd have punched him in the nose long ago!" Ron whined.

"I did, remember? It definitely felt good, but he hasn't left me alone. Just ignore him and avoid him whenever possible, okay?" Hermione pleaded. Ron and Harry couldn't help but snigger at the memory of Hermione punching Draco in the face, and the idea brought a smile to Ginny's face, as well.

"Okay, Hermione, I'll try to ignore him, but it won't be easy. I hate how he always picks on us. I wish he would have just gone to Durmstrang like his dad wanted him to. Life sure would be a lot easier if he had," Ron sighed.

Harry nodded. "I know what you mean. I'd definitely be less a few broken bones if he had," he said.

"But none of you have any idea who keeps sending me these letters, right?" Hermione questioned, getting back to the subject at hand. Ron and Harry shared a quick glance that she didn't fail to catch.

"Nope."

"Nothing."

"Fine. Whatever. I really hope that you're telling the truth, guys. I mean, we are supposed to be best friends. It would be pretty sad if I found out you were lying to me," Hermione said. She then stood up and whisked outside to go study by the lake.

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Okay, how was that? I'm really happy to see the positive response I'm getting from this story! I'm glad you all like it, and I hope that you continue to review!


	5. Chapter 5

Whoo! So much positive response! I guess I've really got you guys guessing as to who the mystery guy is. Could it be Ron? Maybe. Could it be Malfoy? Possibly. Could it be someone that I haven't even mentioned? Who knows? You have to keep reading...And of course reviewing!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, I never have, and I probably never will. I forgot this in my other chapters, but let's just say that this one counts for all.

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The night of the Snow Ball had finally arrived, and Hermione had spent the last several days deliberating between her icy blue gown and the emerald green one. She had finally decided on emerald green to bring out the hazel in her eyes. Her hair had been smoothed and curled, pinned and primped until it stood in a glorious updo with loose ringlets framing her face and neck. It took her an hour to get her makeup just right, and when she finally came down to the common room, Ginny gasped in delight.

"Hermione! You look fabulous! Man, remind me never to be mean to you if I need you to do my makeup. Your eyes look amazing! And that dress..." Ginny trailed off as she gazed in awe and wonder at the beautiful green satin sheath dress draping her friend's petite body.

"Thanks, Ginny. I am so incredibly nervous. What if he doesn't show up? What if he's someone I hate? What if..." she couldn't even begin to list all the 'what if's' that had occurred to her in the last three days.

"Hermione, I'm sure everything is going to be okay. The guy sent you a lovely little owl and two sweet letters. He seems to have put a lot of thought into this whole thing, and I doubt he's gonna do anything mean or stupid or anything. Just relax and have a good time, okay? Now, Harry is supposed to meet me at the bottom of the great staircase. Would you like to come with me at least that far?" Ginny questioned, trying to put her friend's troubled mind at ease. Hermione nodded.

As they left, Artemis, who had been sitting on an open window ledge, quietly flew off into the night.

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Harry glanced at his watch. 7:15. Why was it so impossible for girls to ever be on time for anything important? He stood at the bottom of the stairs, impatiently tapping his foot on the stone floor. He turned to look up at the top of the stairs when he heard someone clear their throat.

He rubbed his eyes in disbelief. "Hermione?" He said, unsure that the vision at the top of the stairs could be one of his best friends.

"I'm happy to see you too, Harry. You look great in your tuxedo with the red vest and boutonnière. Oh, this? It's nothing. Just something my mother made a while ago," Ginny said sarcastically.

"What? Oh, sorry, Ginny. You look wonderful," he said, smiling and kissing her forehead. She smiled back.

"Does it really look okay? It's not too over the top or anything?" Hermione asked Harry.

"Hermione, I can honestly say, I've never seen you look more beautiful in the whole time we've known each other, and I must say, you've looked quite pretty several times," he smiled and blushed a little. Hermione grinned a little at his compliment.

"Thank you, Harry. Now I suppose we had all better be getting in to the dance!" she said, suddenly feeling very excited.

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By eight o'clock, Hermione was still alone at a table. Several boys had asked her to dance, but she had rejected them all. Now she was beginning to feel rather sad and disappointed. Had he forgotten? Or had this all been some kind of cruel joke? After a slow dance, Ginny and Harry joined her at her table.

"Really, Hermione, the night is still young! He could still show up," Ginny tried to reason.

"Yeah, Hermione, I mean, no one who knows what a great person you are would ever consider intentionally letting you down," Harry tried to be encouraging.

Hermione smiled wanly. "Thanks, guys. Maybe Ron was right. I shouldn't have accepted this guy. I should have just come by myself and not worried about it. Hey, where is Ron, anyway?" she asked, suddenly noticing his absence. She hadn't been speaking to him very often since his crack about her just asking him or Harry to take her, but suddenly she was very lonely for him.

"I don't know. He said he had to go do something and that he'd meet us all here during the dance, but I thought he'd be here by now," Harry said. He and Ginny looked at each other over Hermione's head, both knew what the other was thinking.

Just then, the doors to the Great Hall opened with a whoosh of cool air. Hermione turned around and gasped.

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Bwahaha! I know, I'm totally evil and you all hate me now. Too bad! I guess you'll just have to keep reading. And don't forget to review! I want your opinions on who she should end up with. Is this story keeping your attention so far? Have I made any glaring errors? Please feel free to inform me of any questions or concerns you may have, because I do reply to all signed reviews.


	6. Chapter 6

Ta-da! Well, here is the much anticipated sixth chapter of Owls! I can't believe I've put out this many chapters in less than a week. Guys, I'm gonna suffer from severe burn out if I continue at this pace, but I'll keep going for as long as I can until I run out of ideas, okay? After that the chapters will probably be pretty crappy, but I'll keep it up for as long as I can! So without further ado...

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Hermione's mouth dropped at the scene in the doorway. There stood Draco Malfoy in a beautiful royal blue tuxedo with white gloves. She knew she should hate him, but she felt her heart skip just a little. After all, the guy did look gorgeous in that tuxedo. His eyes were scanning the crowd and eventually alighted on Hermione. He began to walk towards her.

"Oh my gosh, guys, what am I gonna do? It's _Draco!_ It's not supposed to be Draco! Help!" she squeaked. Harry just stared, and Ginny was speechless. Before Hermione knew what was happening, Draco was by her side.

"Sorry to keep you waiting so long, Hermione, but I wanted to make sure you were here, so I had to wait for my messenger to come back to me," he smiled. Hermione instantly thought of Artemis. "So, would you care to dance?" he asked, holding out a hand to her.

"Okay," she managed, and with that, she was swept away onto the dance floor for a waltz.

Ginny punched Harry in the arm. "Harry, where's Ron? I thought he was going to be Hermione's date!" she hissed. Harry just shrugged and made inarticulate noises to generally indicate that he hadn't the faintest idea about anything that was currently happening.

"Guys? Where's Hermione?" asked a voice behind them. They turned in horror to see Ron standing there in a blue tuxedo with white gloves. "Don't tell me she left already," he said. Obviously he hadn't seen Hermione and Draco on the dance floor. Ginny pointed silently. Ron followed her finger with his gaze and his chin immediately dropped to the floor. "What the bloody-!" he began before Harry clamped his hand over Ron's mouth.

"Ron, shut up. You told me you were only doing this out of pity for Hermione, so you shouldn't be upset that her date did actually show up. Why are you acting this way?" Harry asked.

"Because! Of course I'm glad her date showed up. What makes me mad is that it's bloody Malfoy! He's a total git!" Ron's face was nearly purple with rage.

"Hallo, Ginny and Harry. Oh, Ron, I didn't know you were Hermione's date, too," Luna smiled her perpetually dazed smile.

"There seems to have been some sort of mix-up, Luna, and we're trying to figure it out right now," Ginny smiled, restraining Ron from storming over to punch Draco in the face. She proceeded to explain the whole situation to Luna.

"Oh. It sounds like Hermione has a lot of secret admirers, then," Luna smiled, indicating the general direction of the Slytherins. It was then that the other three noticed that a large group of Slytherin boys had come in wearing their school uniforms. Draco and Hermione were dancing very near this group by now, and just as Draco turned Hermione to face this malicious group, they removed their robes to reveal royal blue tuxes with white gloves. Everyone caught on to the cruel practical joke at the same time, and Hermione covered her face with her hands and ran out of the room crying.

"Oh, this is awful!" Ginny cried, and flew to follow her friend. Ron, Harry and Luna all followed in close pursuit. They checked all of her usual hiding places, including the library, the girl's bathrooms and Gryffindor dormitory, but none yielded Hermione. Finally, they went to the Room of Requirement. They walked past the wall several times trying to get the door to appear, but it refused.

"She's locked herself in," Ginny sighed.

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Okay, how was that? Does everyone know what's going on? Probably not. It'll take a few chapters for me to clear everything up. Have fun making death threats to me about this chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

Okay, so apparently some people want to kill me for the way I keep ending these chapters, so I may have to stop with the dramatic endings. But on the other hand, that means that I've got your attention and you want to read the next chapter, right? And even if they are death threats, I'm getting reviews, which makes me happy. Well, I guess the best I can do is to just keep updating!

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Hermione sat in her personalized Room of Requirement for a long time and just cried. All her hopes of this mystery guy being a really sweet boy and a total gentleman were crushed. Sure, she had been shocked and a little thrilled to see that it was Draco, but she knew that there had also been a sense of foreboding beneath her excitement.

After a while, she whipped her puffy red eyes and looked around at the room. When she had come in she had immediately dove into the overstuffed chair in the corner without a second glance at the rest of the room. She now saw that it was a dark gray color with a fire in the fireplace at the opposite end. The walls of the room were covered in clashing pictures. It wasn't just that the colors didn't match, but the theme from picture to picture was extremely varied, as well. Some were soothing and beautiful; reminiscent of a Thomas Kinkade, while others were bloody and violent; like the depths of a torture chamber in the Spanish Inquisition.

She got up and walked around the room, examining each painting individually. When she looked closely, she saw a most unusual thing. Each painting had a boy and a girl in it, and the girl was invariably Hermione in every single one. The boy, however, was different. In the nice pictures, he was always too indistict for her to make out just who it was. But in the scary pictures, it was always Draco. He was in pain in every single one, be it on the rack in the Inquisition, or bleeding to death on a battle field with no one to care for him. Hermione's image was always standing over him, torturing him, watching him die. The images made her shudder, but she also felt a little better when she saw them. Finally, she knew what she had to do.

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The next morning, Ginny awoke to find Hermione sleeping soundly in the bed next to her own. She let out a relieved sigh and began to climb out of bed.

"Ginny?" Hermione said, sitting up.

"Yes?"

"I'm really sorry for running out last night. I over reacted. I should have known Malfoy would be up to no good," she said.

"Don't worry about it, Hermione. What he did was truly heinous, and he ought to be ashamed of himself. Ron was about ready to punch his lights out when he saw the two of you dancing, but Harry and I restrained him," Ginny giggled.

"Ron was there? I didn't see him. Why didn't he say anything to me?" Hermione asked.

"Well, first you were dancing with Malfoy, and then you ran out so fast we couldn't keep up and you wouldn't let us into the Room of Requirement."

"Oh."

"Well, what's done is done. Are you ready to go to breakfast?" Ginny asked, starting to brush her hair and get dressed.

"Yeah, I guess. I'll meet you down there, okay?" Hermione said. Ginny nodded and left.

After Ginny left, Hermione turned back to her bed and looked up. There, on top of one of the posts of her bed sat Artemis in what had become her usual roost. Hermione called her down and tied a letter she had written the night before to the small bird's leg.

"There," she said, "go take that to your rotten master." And with that, she released the owl out the window.

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When she finally walked in for breakfast, her step was decidedly lighter than the night before, and she had a content smile on her face.

"Well at least she's not blubbering all over the place," Ron whispered to Harry. Ginny elbowed him in the ribs, making him yell in pain. "What was that for?" he asked, but she just glared at him.

"Hi, guys! How's breakfast?" Hermione said, plunking down between Ron and Harry. She began to dig into her food, eating as though she had been stranded without food for the last several days.

"Oh, it's pretty good. The eggs are a little runny, though," Harry said, holding up a fork full of what were supposed to be scrambled eggs. They immediately slid off the fork.

"Well, I think today will be a lovely day! Fresh snow, clean air...let's go have a snowball fight after this!" she said. The other three stared at each other. What had gotten into her? Normally Hermione would have preferred to be immersed in books rather than playing in the snow.

"Uh, okay," said Ron.

"Well, let's go!" Hermione said, grabbing his hand and pulling him out of his seat. She was barreling towards the door when Luna stepped in front of her.

"Hi, Hermione," Luna said a little shyly. She was holding the hand of a boy that Hermione recognized as being new to the school.

"Hi, Luna. Who's your friend?" she asked, smiling at the guy.

"This is Julian Eldritch. He's new. We met at the dance last night," Luna said. She looked like she wanted to say more, but Hermione wanted to leave.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Julian. Luna is a nice girl, and a good friend," she smiled at him. He was tall and thin with thick, sandy colored hair and glasses. His blue eyes had an airy look that Hermione had often seen on Luna. Once she had taken all this in, though, Hermione grabbed Ron's arm again, nodded towards Luna and Julian, and left.

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Okay, there you go. That wasn't a cliff hanger, was it? If it is, it's not meant to be. I know, it's kinda random, but bear with me, I am going somewhere with this story. I don't usually like it when people introduce made up characters into stories, but I just needed someone Hermione wouldn't know and could easily be added without adding serious complications.


	8. Chapter 8

Okay, now I've got to figure out a delicate way writing the rest of this crazy fanfic without making it more confusing that it already is! I'm walking a very narrow tight rope with this one...

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Hermione spent the rest of the day acting like a normal kid and having snowball fights with the gang. She didn't give a second thought to what had happened the night before, chalking it all up to a cruel practical joke by the cruelest joker at the school.

However, that night at dinner she was forced to think about it again when Draco burst into the Great Hall with torn robes and bloody cuts and bruises. The room let out an audible gasp.

"Mr. Malfoy, what on earth happened to you?" Snape asked, cutting through the gathering crowd like a hot knife through butter.

"I was just opening my mail, that's all. It was just one letter, I don't know what happened!" he stammered. His eyes rolled back in the sockets, his knees gave out and he crashed to the floor.

"Madam Pomfrey, get this boy to the hospital wing now!" Snape commanded and quickly left the hall.

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"Wow. That was really weird. What could have happened to him?" Ginny said to no one in particular that night in the common room.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling we're going to find out soon," Harry said, looking glum.

"It's not like there aren't enough people who want to get even with Malfoy for some reason or another, though," Hermione said nonchalantly.

"Well, yeah, but normally he'll fight back pretty hard, and no one else had any noticeable marks on them," Harry said.

"Maybe he's making the whole thing up to get someone in trouble," Ron pointed out. They all thought about this for a moment. It definitely wouldn't be out of character for the ferret.

"Well, we can sit here trying to come up with theories on what happened, like everyone else, or we can go to bed and not lose sleep over such a scum bag who finally got what was coming to him. I guess we'll just have to wait and find out like the rest of the school," Ginny said, and slipped off to bed.

"Yeah, I am pretty tired," Hermione said and followed suit. The boys sat around for a couple more minutes, but they were both exhausted from their day in the snow and went to bed.

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The next morning, Professor McGonagall kept Hermione after Transfiguration class. She shut the door after the rest of the students had left and turned to face the Gryffindor witch.

"Professor Dumbledore needs to speak with you, Granger. I am to accompany you to his tower," McGonagall said, looking upset.

"What's wrong, Professor? Did I do something wrong? I assure you I've never, ever cheated on anything!" Hermione instantly became nervous.

"I wish it were that simple, Granger; however, this is much more serious," McGonagall said. She would not comment anymore until they had made it to the gargoyle staircase and into Dumbledore's study.

Hermione looked around in shock at the people assembled in the room. Dumbledore sat behind his desk looking slightly perplexed, Mr. Malfoy stood in front of the desk looking very snakelike, and Madam Pomfrey and Professor Snape stood off to the side. Professor McGonagall took a seat near Dumbledore.

"Well, Hermione, do you know why you're here?" Dumbledore questioned.

"No, sir, I really don't," she said.

"Well, allow us to clear things up for you," Mr. Malfoy sneered.

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Okay, how was that? I decided that I like writing cliff hangers because it keeps me more interested in the story and you guys review more. So, please continue reviewing!


	9. Chapter 9

Yay! So many reviews! I feel so loved...or at least that my story is loved! That's always cool. Okay, well, here's the next highly anticipated chapter.

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"Hermione, I am afraid that current evidence points to you as the person who sent that letter to the young Mr. Malfoy. Under normal circumstances I don't believe anyone here would think it possible, but-" Dumbledore was quickly cut off by Mr. Malfoy.

"How dare you try to injure my son! If you can't handle a little practical joke, then I don't think you can be trusted not to snap under pressure in the real world. You'll never have more than a minor desk job," he sneered the Malfoy sneer.

"Please, I'm confused. What happened to Malfoy, and what is this evidence that you have against me?" Hermione pleaded.

"Oh, as if you didn't know," Mr. Malfoy shot but was silenced by a wave of Dumbledore's hand.

"My dear, we found the letter you wrote, and your owl was in his room with the string still attached to her leg. It's in your handwriting and your signature is at the bottom. It was quite...angry. It had a very strong hex on it, as well. Not something your average sixth year could conjure," Dumbledore added and Hermione thought she detected a note of pride when he mentioned her supposed handiwork.

"Oh, no! Professor, please. I admit that I did send an angry letter to Draco after he upset me at the ball, but I swear I didn't hex the letter! Honestly, I didn't," Hermione sobbed. Her school career was flashing before her very eyes. She knew that she would be expelled for this, and she hadn't really even done anything.

"Well, I'm afraid that these are grounds for expulsion, Miss Granger," Dumbledore began. Hermione let out a whimper. He continued, "But since you are such a good student with no history of violence on your record, we're going to delve a little more deeply into the matter. You say that you didn't hex it? Interesting...Very well, Hermione, you are dismissed. However, you need to be ready to be summoned to my office at any time in case new evidence arises. You are dismissed," Dumbledore finished. Hermione turned and fled out the door.

---

That evening in the common room, Hermione confessed everything to the gang. She told them about the letter, the meeting in Dumbledore's office, and her possible punishment. They were flabbergasted.

"Hermione, you hexed Draco?" Ron asked with a grin. She punched him in the arm.

"No, I did _not_ hex Draco! I just told you that! Someone else must have intercepted my letter and added the hex. But who? And how did they know that I was sending a letter to Draco? It's not like I broadcasted it to the world," Hermione was thinking out loud.

"Unless Draco hexed it himself just to frame you," Ron snarled. "He would do something like that."

"I don't think it was Draco this time, Ron. I don't know who it was, but when Draco came in to breakfast he seemed genuinely surprised," Hermione said.

"Well, who else could it have been? It wasn't one of us, and while it's true that most of the school hates him, I don't think anyone would risk their entire school career over him," Ginny pointed out.

"I don't know what to think right now. I just need to sleep," Hermione said and stumbled off to bed in the girls' dorm.

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Okay, it was really really short, but I don't have a lot of time to write this chapter. What do you guys think so far? Good, bad or indifferent? What do you think is going to happen?


	10. Chapter 10

I love hearing all your different theories on what's going to happen! It's a lot of fun and I think I need to start writing more Harry Potter fanfictions. Okay, sorry the last chapter was so short, but I'll try and make this one longer. I apologize for any awkward parts in the story, but I'm not entirely sure on how I want this to play out.

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The next day, Hermione was once again in the library studying. Snape had assigned an essay on the various uses of silver mound leaves in potions, and it was supposed to be five sheets long. After three pages she couldn't think of anything more to say, so she was trying to read every book with any mention of the fuzzy plants.

She jumped when she heard someone clear their throat behind her.

"What?" she said in a very agitated voice. As if her life wasn't obnoxious enough with the whole Draco situation and this essay without someone trying to get her attention.

"Sorry, Hermione, it's just me," Luna said behind her. When Hermione turned around she saw the blonde space-case with a scared look on her face.

"I'm sorry, Luna, I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm a little stressed out right now," Hermione added, indicating the papers and books behind her. She had opted not to tell anyone but Harry, Ron and Ginny about the meeting in Dumbledore's office.

"Oh, it's okay, I understand. Um, actually, I'm here because Ginny told me what happened. I was wondering...you haven't seen Julian lately, have you?" Luna actually looked thoroughly embarrassed, but Hermione couldn't think why. She was too busy thinking of ways to hurt Ginny for telling someone, even if it was just Luna.

"Who? Oh, no, I haven't seen him, why?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, I was just curious. He's been acting weird lately-"

"So you think I hexed him? Gosh! Luna, I didn't do it, okay? I don't know what's wrong with Draco! It wasn't me, I swear! So drop it, okay?" Hermione felt like chewing on someone, and Luna had provided the perfect opportunity.

"Actually, I was just trying to find him. He keeps disappearing. It never occurred to me that you would hex him. You didn't, right?" Luna asked.

"NO!"

"Okay, well, if you do see him, please tell me. Oh, and you might like to use this for your paper. My dad gave it to me a couple years ago when I had a crazy fascination with botany. Chapter nine is all about silver mounds," Luna handed Hermione a book from the collection under her arm.

"How did you know I was doing a paper on silver mounds?" Hermione was surprised.

"Well, why else would you lock yourself in the library with a dozen books and a paper entitled 'The Various Properties and Uses of the Silver Mound'?" Luna shrugged and walked off.

Hermione opened the book and thumbed through to chapter ten. She found the most information she had ever seen on one plant and finished with the essay in under an hour.

---

Hermione was relieved when Potions was finally over for the day, as always. But an icy chill went down her spine when Snape loudly announced that she would have to stay after class. Once everyone had filed out of the room, she squared her shoulders and marched up to his desk.

"Is this about my essay?" she asked.

"Miss Granger, I must admit that I was actually quite impressed with that essay. No one else was able to meet the five page requirement. However, no, that's not what you're here for. Professor Dumbledore wants to meet with you in his office," Snape growled and turned on a heel, leading the way out of the room. Hermione let out a small groan and followed reluctantly.

---

Once in the office, Hermione faced the same group as previously, except that instead of Mr. Malfoy, Julian Eldritch stood sheepishly in the middle of the floor.

"Julian? What are you doing here? Oh, Luna's looking for you," Hermione was very puzzled by the way things were suddenly going.

"Actually, Hermione, Mr. Eldritch has something he needs to tell you," Dumbledore said.

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Okay, how was that? There will probably only be one or two more chapters after this, so I'll get them out pretty fast, and hopefully you'll all be happy or at least content with how it ends. What do you think is going to happen?


	11. Chapter 11

Hey! I'm sad...this story isn't getting as many reviews as it used to. Oh well, I'll keep writing...I do still enjoy reading your theories for what's going to happen. Here goes chapter 11!

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"Uh, hi, Hermione," Julian said awkwardly. He stepped forward and looked around as though he were unsure how to proceed. "Um..."

"What do you need to tell me, Julian?" Hermione asked. By this point she was becoming suspicious.

"Well, you see, um...the letter that hurt Draco..." he stammered.

"What about it?" Hermione growled.

"I, uh, I kinda...sent it," he muttered.

"Sorry?"

"I sent it."

"_WHAT!_"

"It was a mistake! I can totally explain everything," he held his arms up in a half pleading half defensive posture.

"Talk fast, buddy," she snarled.

"Well, it started back at the start of January when I first saw you. I came after Christmas break, and I saw you the first morning at breakfast. Or who I thought you were, anyway. You were leaving the Hall after breakfast with a group of friends, and I asked someone sitting near me who you were. I guess they thought I was pointing at someone else, because they gave me your name."

"Wait, what are you talking about? You saw me, but it wasn't me you were looking for, and someone told you it was me? Use proper nouns instead of pronouns, okay?" Hermione said.

"Okay, I was looking at Luna, but at the time I didn't know anyone's names. I asked someone who she was, but they thought I was pointing at you, so they told me Hermione. I assumed that they were talking about Luna, but they weren't," he finished lamely.

"Well, I guess we've learned what happens when we assume..." Hermione began the popular adage.

"Yeah, I guess so," he half-smiled.

"But that doesn't explain the letter," Hermione remembered.

"Oh yeah. That."

"Yeah."

"Well, that night at the ball, I found Luna and explained what happened to her. I guess you didn't see me in the blue tux because you were dancing with Malfoy when I came in. Luna saw me right away, though. Well, I told her what happened, and she told me why you ran out of the Hall like you did, so when I got your letter with Artemis the next morning, I knew it wasn't intended for me. I thought it was really cruel what Draco did to you, so I decided to add a little hex to the letter. It was only supposed to make him have a nasty little break out, but I've never been too good in Charms...I guess I made it too strong..." he began to trail off when he noticed the look on Hermione's face.

"So, you thought I was Luna, and sent me letters and an owl under that presumption only to find out that I'm not Luna. When you found out the truth, you were mad at Malfoy and forwarded my letter on to him with what you thought to be a hex to cause pimples, but turned out to be a lot stronger. Then you let me worry about getting expelled for a few days before you finally said anything!" she was shaking at this point, and Julian took a step back because he was afraid of the impending explosion.

"Uh, yeah, pretty much," he nodded. Hermione burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" he asked, looking almost offended.

"Well...I guess I've just been so stressed with this whole situation that now that I'm off the hook-" here she glanced at Dumbledore to confirm this fact, and he nodded, "-I guess it all just struck me as funny," she said when she finally sobered up. She suddenly had a thought. "Julian, what's your punishment?"

"Well, since it was an accident, and to be honest, a rather deserving punishment for Mr. Malfoy, I think Mr. Eldritch will have a week detention with Mr. Filtch, and that will be all. However, if anything like this ever happens again..." he trailed off, but looked emphatically over his half-moon glasses at the pair.

"Understood." Hermione nodded and grabbed Julian's hand, dragging him out of the office. "We need to go tell everyone, okay?" she said. Julian nodded and they raced down the hall.

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How was that? Confusing enough? That was the most in-depth thinking I've ever had to do for the resolution of a fanfic. But this thing isn't over yet. There will be one more pretty short chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed all this!


	12. Chapter 12

I know I said Tuesday, but I got a little behind on this last update. Well, thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed and enjoyed this little fic of mine! If you like Card Captor Sakura or Sailor Moon, you may enjoy my other fics as well. I will most definitely be writing more Harry Potter fics, too, if that's what you like.

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"I have to go talk to Luna," Julian said when he and Hermione reached Gryffindor Tower. She nodded and watched as he ran off. Then she opened the door to the common room half expecting to find something new and dreadful on the other side. After all, her life had definitely not been going her way lately. She didn't know whether to be delighted or disappointed to find everything normal.

"Hello, Hermione, where did you go after Potions?" Ginny asked, looking up from her Transfiguration homework.

"Oh...uh, actually, I went to Dumbledore's office," she said, looking at her feet. For some reason, she was almost sad everything would be normal again. Usually all the exciting things happened to Harry while she just watched from the sidelines and got good grades. It had been nice to be the center of attention for a while, even though it had been for less than excellent reasons; namely Draco Malfoy.

"Dumbledore's office? Hermione, what happened?" Ginny pulled Hermione to a corner of the room and hissed. Apparently she hadn't noticed Hermione's distracted attitude. "You're not expelled, are you?"

"What? No! No, I went because they had something new to tell me and Julian was there, and it turns out that I'm innocent," Hermione smiled. Ginny's jaw dropped. "Do you want me to explain the whole thing?" Hermione asked. When Ginny just nodded, Hermione told her to go get Harry and Ron, since she knew that they would want to know as well.

They went to the Room of Requirement, since they knew they probably wouldn't be disturbed there, and Hermione explained the whole situation. Harry, Ron and Ginny sat in rapt silence to the very end.

"So, you sent a letter to Draco, but it went to Julian who put a hex on it and forwarded it to Draco but it was the wrong hex and Draco got hurt and you were blamed for something you kinda did, but not really," Ron said slowly, trying to work this out in his head.

"Yes," Hermione nodded.

"But if Julian meant to send the letters to Luna, then doesn't that mean that Artemis should be Luna's, too?" Ginny pointed out.

"Oh, no! You're right. But, I love Artemis! But it's only right that I give her to Luna. I'll be back later, okay guys?" she waved as she left.

---

"Luna?" Hermione found her friend on the edge of the forest reading her father's magazine.

"Hello," Luna gave an absentminded wave and continued to read. "Did you know snorkbladdles can be used to cure warts if you dance with one on the night of a full moon in a patch of clover?"

"Snorkbladdles?" Hermione rolled her eyes before remembering why she was there. "Luna, I need to talk you. I guess Julian found you already?"

"Yes, he told me everything. It's really rather funny. At least neither of you got in too much trouble and Draco finally got what he deserved. Too bad Oliver never showed up for you, though," Luna sighed. Somehow, Hermione didn't think her friend totally understood everything.

"Look, Luna, Julian was sending those letters to me because he thought that I was you. That means he also sent me Artemis but she's supposed to be yours. So...here," Hermione called for the owl and she flew gently out of the trees where Hermione had left her.

"An owl?" Luna looked puzzled.

"Yeah, you remember, she's the one Julian sent the letters with," Hermione reminded.

"Oh. Why would I want an owl?" Luna asked. Hermione was running out of patience.

"Luna, do you want her or not? She was intended for you."

"Well, I usually just use the school owls or thestrals or something. Rabbits are good for short distances. And I really don't care for small owls," she said.

"Okay, so do you mind if I keep her?" Hermione tried not to sound too hopeful.

"Sure, that's fine," Luna smiled and proceeded to read her book, indicating that Hermione could leave. She turned and walked off.

---

Hermione was sitting by the lake that evening thinking about the events of the past few days. She was feeling rather sober about the whole thing and was completely lost in her thoughts. A slight breeze startled her, though. It wasn't a normal breeze because it went past her, but only on one side, as though a person had just walked by. She looked around, but didn't see anyone.

"Pst, Hermione," she heard a voice above her say and she looked up into Ron's face. He was smiling slightly.

"Ron! What are you doing with Harry's invisibility cloak?" Hermione cried. She had been totally surprised.

"I wanted to sneak up on you, and I didn't know if you would see me coming if I didn't use it," he grinned. She smacked him at approximately the level of his shin, and was rewarded with a crack and a grimace of pain on his face.

"You know I hate it when people sneak up on me! What did you want to see me for, anyway?" she asked in a bit of a huff.

"I wanted to show you something."

"Okay, what?"

"This," he said, and let the cloak fall away. It revealed a royal blue tux and white gloves. Hermione was shocked.

"Did you come to rub it in my face, Ron? I can't believe you!" she yelled. She stood up and started to storm off back to the castle.

"Bugger. That didn't go as planned," he muttered and started to run after her. "Hermione, wait!"

"What?" she snapped, not slowing down. He grabbed her arm and spun her around.

"Hermione, I didn't write that letter, but I've definitely been your secret admirer for a long time. Come here," he pulled her hand and dragged her towards the forest edge. Hermione noticed faint music coming from the woods, but it was slowly growing stronger. Ron picked up her hand and put her other hand on his shoulder. He wrapped his hand around her waist and pulled her to him, gently rocking her back and forth to the music.

"Ron?" she managed to whisper when her shock had faded a little.

"Yes?"

"Why didn't you ever say anything? I mean, you've had years!"

"Well...I was afraid you wouldn't like me back. I probably would never have had the guts, but then I thought I was going to lose you to someone else and I realized I couldn't let that happen," he squeezed her to him. "I love you, Hermione," he whispered into her hair. She felt his heartbeat pick up.

"I love you to, Ron," she said, looking up into his face. He looked so happy when she said that that she couldn't help but smile. He smiled back and leaned down, slowly wrapping both arms around her, tilting her head back, gazing into her eyes. And then, they kissed a long, slow kiss.

The End.

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How was that? I know I said it'd be done last Tuesday, but I couldn't really think of a good way to write it, so here it is! I really want to know your thoughts on this story, guys! Thanks to everyone who read it and reviewed often! I really appreciate it. Oh, and I think I got the word 'snorkbladdle' from _The Little Mermaid_, but I don't think it's in Harry Potter normally.


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